Chilean poet Gabriela Mistral - the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1945 - was once moved to write this beautiful and varied landscape of his country: "Do not step on the floor, not crush the fruit scented. For love, stoop, smell, and give your mouth. "These sentiments are still taken today on a visit to Chile travelers from around the world. They come from desert soils and saline trekking, hiking up active Andean volcanoes, drink the fresh water of melting glaciers, and taste the wine dripping from a matured in oak barrel. Chile is a long, narrow strip of land on the western edge of South America. E 'enclosed by towering Andes mountains along its eastern border, the starkly arid Atacama Desert in the north, Cape Horn and a stretch of islands in the south, and 4,000 miles of Pacific Ocean to its west.Just recently, Condé Nast Traveller Chile high in 5th place in the world top 20 travel destinations for 2009. Lonely Planet has stressed the southern island of Chiloe, as the third most important destination in the world to know in 2009. The Lodge and Spa Puyuhuapi, along with Chile's Puyehue hot springs, have been highlighted in the Top 50 "wellness" destinations around the world by the prestigious National Geographic Traveler in 2009. In addition, Frommer's travel guide called the Chilean city of Puttre, Pucón, Frutillar, Puerto Varas, Tortel and some of the most charming small towns all over the world to know. In addition to the awards mentioned above, Chile is also, without doubt, one of the safer and more relaxing to travel in South America is relatively well developed and its buses are comfortable and on time. And, speaking of Condé Nast friendly inhabitants of the country, "Chilean combine quiet northern European and measure heat with Latin American and friendship." With such a variety of natural landscapes, remote town, and the activities to be performed, it is impossible see all Chile has to offer in one trip. But after careful consideration, I selected the top 5 must see when you visit this delicacy in South America. These five hot spots are: 1) Santiago, 2) Torres del Paine National Park, 3) Valparaiso, 4) San Pedro de Atacama, and 5), the Colchagua Wine Route. 1. Santiago, Chile - We start with the capital, the first place is encountered when flying in from abroad. This very modern South American city, in the heart of the central valley of Chile, contains many gems secret that international travelers sometimes transmit, as soon escape the natural wonders in the south and north. The best way to get a bird's eye view of this distribution, urban metropolis nestled between the mountains of the Andes and others has always been to the top of Cerro San Cristobal. At the bottom of Cerro 860 meters, or hill, you get the platform to jump on the funicular, which leads to the summit along the hill. Midway at the top, the cable car stops at a small zoo for those who want to quickly check some monkeys and zebras. Then, after you exit the funicular to the "Terraza Bellavista, near the top of Cerro San Cristobal, it is easy to remember because cable cars are always fun. There, the Terraza, you can purchase snacks and coffee to Chile and brought out the view. However, for the best view in town, climb the steep path to the 22 meter high statue of the Virgin Mary. Although she gives her blessing as powerful as a spiritual guardian of Santiago, can not always erase the smog impressive as you try to perceive the surrounding beautiful mountains covered with snow. Cerro also includes a funicular, or cable car, offering a way of rising fear circulating around the hill.When you return to the ground, are located right in another amazing "must-see" of Santiago, Barrio Bellavista. It is a longstanding bohemian, artsy neighborhood that includes theaters, wonderful restaurants, chic, and houses painted funkily. You should also visit one of the houses of former Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, La Chascona, while you are at Bellavista and you can take a real fun tour in English or Spanish.For lunch, you should head over to the bustling market and Central, aptly named the Central Market. Here, suppliers and customers alike to take anything into a bird for all the fresh fish and seafood, which includes bright eels, oysters baked in salt, clams, Reinet, squid tentacle, and the staple Chilean salmon. Even if you are shy of seeing the lines of gray-hooked fish rose up and around, is still to sink your teeth into a thread in one of the many restaurants around. Then, after lunch, a duck near the Feria de La Vega, a bustling market full of bizarre vegetables, fruits and colors of the river since edge.If you have another day in the city, or more time on this day, there are also to see Santiago's central Plaza de Armas, the name historically given to urban and commercial center of a Spanish colonial city. Here, you can see some of the first buildings ever built in Chile, dated around the 18th and early 19th. Of course, after seeing this, you will agree "not to build it once was." The colonial architecture of intricate Catedral de Santiago, Chile's central post office (Correo Central), and the National Historical Museum hours conflict with the looming hyper-modern buildings of downtown Santiago 50-75 plan today, right in the background. While you're here, your system will be back and the rest of the benches on a pretty square, watching the older folks playing chess and wonder at the beautiful paintings being done by the road artists.With a couple of days stay in Santiago, and a healthy budget can afford a rental car, you do yourself a favor by excursioning for peace and the splendid Cajon del Maipo, a canyon along the main river of Santiago (Mapocho) flowing from the Andes. There, you can make great hiking, horseback riding and rafting. Or, you can travel to Portillo for a few high-quality skiing, or pick up some of Pomaire Chilean handicrafts and see how they are made. 2. Torres del Paine - After experiencing the exciting introduction to the country through a stay in the city of Santiago, many travelers, especially during the summer, embark on the serious nature adventure travel in southern Chile. The Parque Nacional Torres del Paine in Patagonia, for example, is a glorious national park of 180,000 hectares, rich landscapes of spectacular beauty of the deepest, most southern edges of the continent. In fact, some international travelers coming to Chile just to experience the glaciers, ice fields, deflecting fjords, immense masses of rocks, forests of Magellan and dramatic in this region alone. You can drive along any number of trails, hiking through the forests and tundra of Patagonia lenga, walking alongside pumas, guanacos (llamas in the south of Chile), woodpeckers, and nandues (S. American ostrich), with a condor flying overhead. Along with hiking, mountaineering, tourism enterprises straddles Torres del Paine offer horseback riding, kayaking and relaxing trips by ferry, where you can sit back and try to get all the breathtaking scenery in.There are, of course , wonderful campsites. But even if you are rough, there are a lot of hotels and resorts for luxury tilted. Just remember, do not you just need to keep you warm with tools, such as leggings, fleece jackets, polartec socks, and a waterproof jacket, it is also necessary to remain financially very warm with a padded, stuffed wallet. In addition to visiting this UNESCO declared "Biosphere Reserve" called Torres del Paine, is also highly recommended to travel to the charming nearby town of Puerto Natales and Puerto Williams. It is also quite worthwhile to explore the charming European-esque Punta Arenas, the small city of 120,000 inhabitants, in which for the first time zone to get to Santiago by air. Punta Arenas is the southernmost city of the planet (except the post-science devoted to Antarctica) and its attractions include a cemetery, quirky, a naval history museum, and visits per day watching.3 penguin. Valparaiso - Back to the central region as we visit the third most populous urban area in the country, Valparaiso, Viña del Mar. Valparaiso, a major port city 120 km west of Santiago, is the only gem here is truly unlike any city of our North American continent. Funky, old houses, shacks and houses of all colors, shapes and qualities of cloth over the 45 steepest hills staring straight at the Pacific Ocean, seemingly clinging for dear life to their structure. Yes, Chile gets plenty of earthquakes and, no, these homes just do not fall. I think if we can say that the "magic" of Valpo (as it is called locally) begins. A Spanish captain named Juan de Saavedra settled in this bay in 1536. In 1544, Pedro de Valdivia has confirmed the name of the city of Valparaiso and defined it as the natural, the main port of Santiago. The town grew very slowly for several centuries during the colonial period. But in the 19th century, Valparaiso started becoming a center of South America's vibrant economic activity. In reality, the city grew to be the most important port in Latin America - a must for ships around Cape Horn and then north. That is, until the Panama Canal was completed and opened in 1914. It is said that in 1849, a year after gold was discovered in California, up to 800 vessels could be counted at any time on this shore.With Valparaiso's international traffic and conversation, the native of Chile, together with the Spanish and other European immigrants, has become the new inhabitants of Valparaiso, creating a unique culture, memories of molding and developing a unique space and form that characterize the city today. As the tour guides describe Valparaiso Ruta, "The city has never been officially planned ... (But) spontaneusly built by its inhabitants climbing the slopes of the hill ... architectural styles co-exist naturally with no injury. " Along the way, Valpo developed its identity and soul as an inspiring, romantic city. A home for poets and nutritious paintors, pirates and fishermen, sailors and bohemians. Charles Darwin visited Valparaiso, after passing Cape Horn, Nicaraguan writer Ruben Diario worked as a clerk at customs Valparaiso's, Sir Francis Drake landed here, as did the Spanish civil war refugees in 1939, and Nobel laureate poet Pablo Neruda lived in a of their homes here, "La Sebastiana", (now a museum) overlooking bay.Among the "must-do" here in Valpo held one of 15 external elevators or lifts, which will take you to the top of these 15 hills, or Cerros, in amazement, the beautiful view. The elevators will crack and crank as if they were taken directly from the around the island of Robinson Crusoe to Disneyland, but yes, they are still functional and safe and in fact provides a day, effective public transport for local residents. You could do yourself a favor and explore the museums and walking the hills of Cerro Concepción, with spectacular views of the port from Cerro Playa Ancha. I think my current favorite is the turkey Cerro Alegre with its many art exhibitions, lively bars, and general curiosity intertwined with newly renovated and beautifully painted houses funded by the good people of Valparaiso Foundation, El Sendero Bicentenial, and the Government Chile. Be sure to take the shades of red and purple of a sunset here from any number of expansive views of the city (or viewpoints) on hilltops. Then, for the night, the lights goes up. Valparaiso is well known for its exciting nightlife and culture in pubs, restaurants, cafes poetry, and dancing. There are no shortages of places to drink away and get lost (figuratively and literally) in the middle of the night. It can be the ball of a sailor, but also try to make an effort to be safe. And if you happen to go to Valparaiso for the New Year, will not be disappointed with the music, dancing, fireworks and celebrations. Just be sure to eat lentils at midnight to ensure the right value of a year of economic prosperity! 4. San Pedro de Atacama - The fourth must-see destination in Chile is located in the far north, in the hypnotic, sweeping view of the bone-dry Atacama Desert. The Atacama, a distance of 1,000 km that covers most of northern Chile, as well as parts of Bolivia, Argentina, is known to be the driest desert in the world in terms of least amount of rain a year. Within this desert of sand dunes on the rise, Stark white salt flats, geysers belching, pink flamingos (true!) And pre-Columbian archaeological finds, lies a small village surreal - an international, cosmopolitan sort of an oasis called the San Pedro. Located 1,575 km north of Santiago, San Pedro is a picturesque village which provides a center of tourism infrastructure and services to increasing numbers of international visitors to take in the breathtaking excursions. The city has a population of just 2,500 inhabitants of Chile, for the most direct descendants of the native Atamaceño. However, it is hard to tell who is working, residing, and that is just passing through. You probably feel more German than Spanish spoken in several days, and the English you hear in bars and alleys are usually the variety of the UK. And finally, because this city is a starting point for tourist activities nearby, there are a wide range of hostels, luxury hotels, tourist agencies, and a lot of Internet cafes (although I do not understand how things can get links to here). There are also trendy pubs and trendy - even organic - restaurants. While in town, it's nice to meet some fellow travelers and residents of local villages such as controlling the old adobe Spanish colonial church of San Pedro dates back to 1774, and Gustavo LePaige Museum of Archaeology. But the hypnotic real, natural events are seen outside the city, both with a local tourist outift that takes small groups of people in the minivan, or as a solitary explorer ... granted, you need a jeep to reach most of these places. The important highlights of the surrounding altiplano: Valle de La Luna (Moon Valley), El Tatio Geyser, and the trip to the Salar de Atacama and Toconao. First, you should take a trip to Valle de la Luna, possibly with both Caracoles Ecotourism cunza, Cactus Domingo Atienza, and other famous tourist boards. (I will not make the same mistake my wife and I did visit the high altitude of El Tatio Geyser your first day in town before his body to make an adjustment or two days for the local altitude.) L 'remarkably resembles the lunar landscape of the valley - according to those who have crossed the moon, I suppose - with wind-beaten hills enclosing a laminated floor valley. There is also a large dune will be launched throughout the valley, where you can have a huge appreciation all around, especially after making the climb with other travelers instead of sitting on top. The sunset is, then, other-worldly, or perhaps a touch of essence of what this world really is when you have the right time, space and place for reflection. Cyclists can also rent a bicycle for a serious trek all the way, 14 km downstream from the center of San Pedro and make it before sunset. On your second or third day in town, you can visit the El Tatio geysers, and this is some experience you will never forget! Typically, you pay about U.S. $ 20 per person with a tour of the premises for a day trip to Geyser Tatio. El Tatio Geyser is a very active geothermal field located far up in the Andes, which, at sunrise, shows steam bursts, or "geysers" jump out of the ground because of the high temperatures of underground water craters . First, a van picks you up at your hotel (or hotel) at about 4 am. It can be quite cold at this time in the desert, so be sure to dress warm. In addition, for reasons explained later, bring a swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, bottled water, and collecting lemons.After you and a few others, the minivan and starts the journey of 3 hours, rising 4,200 meters above see level sea. Remember to chew lemons that have either led, or are open to you, while working to mitigate any altitude sickness (or "puna"), you can suffer. In addition, workers in the van can offer tea mate, that works well. So we arrive at the top of this place, the highest geothermal field in the world, just as the sun is collected. Here, you will be surprised by the wonderful blow bubbles to spray water back and forth. But beware, the earth's crust is very thin in some parts, and people are falling. Finally, take a dip in the pool near natural hot springs pool. This is refreshing, therapeutic, and for this hour, it will be a good party is basking in the bright sun. The third essential element to make the trip while in San Pedro de Atacama is the journey of 38 km south of the inspiration Toconao and Salar de Atacama. Thick layers of bright white salt ancient sea covered vast areas of land, as you are in the presence of geological history. Go ahead, break a piece and take a lick. It tastes like the sea salt that is currently hundreds of miles away. Along the way, you have wonderful views of two majestic volcanoes, and Licancabur Lascar, with sweet and upclose encounters with llamas and alpacas. You can leave the van and trying to pet, if not shy away first. (Can be a bit 'because for centuries the local atacameños raised llamas and alpacas, making good use of their meat and wool.) Enjoy your time in San Pedro and the surrounding area. Just be aware of your ecological footprint on the various reserves and breathtaking landscapes, because an increase of international tourist traffic, some of the locals have had to make extra efforts for cleaning and the like. 5. Ruta del Vino Colchagua, Santa Cruz unless you've been living under a rock for the last 5-7 years, it was learned that Chile produces some of the best wines around. So what better way to enjoy the fruit of the native Chile and then, visiting some local vineyards? (It 's also a perfect conversation starter - to tell others about your travels, in the heart of wine producers in Chile that the next time someone opens a bottle of Santa Rita and Concha y Toro to dinner with a friend.) So, back to the central region of Chile, the closer again in Santiago, where it is most likely to be flying out to return to international prominence as a nation home.Although Chile wine has emerged only recently, the wine is actually grown here since 1540. It was then that the first Catholic missionaries planted vines so that they could participate in the drink during the Mass Spanish settlers continued small-scale production of wine until 1851, when the first winery was established correctly. The first store was developed by Silvestre Ochagavía, but soon after, fellow Spanish-Chilean aristocratic families followed in his footsteps and erected beautiful palaces and parks next to their vineyards. Today, there are over 250 total vineyards in Chile, which produces several wines for domestic consumption and export. The main grapes grown in the fertile Central Valley are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenere. Many of the wineries set in lush vineyards offer tours around Santiago, and tastings. In total there are 11 famous Rutas de Vino, or wine routes, across the country. Here we focus on one of the most beautiful trip through the world of wine with the Colchagua Wine Route through the town of Santa Cruz, which is about 2 hours south of Santiago. Pablo Neruda once wrote, "Wine opens up in amazement, and the shelter for months, running over your body drenched in red wings." The doors of the Colchagua Valley can be reached and opened by a rental car through a tour van, or, for a more pastoral, a locomotive from the early 20th century. The train picks you up in Santiago, serves homemade cheeses and nuts, and includes Chilean folk singers on board, stop and taste a variety wineries.Once to reach the lush Colchagua Valley, has been achieved, what some call, a paradise for wine in Chile. There are a total of 18 vineyards in the valley that boasts attractions including views of the endless coastal mountains, a carriage ride through the vineyards of Viña Viu Manent, and the ability to pick grapes and make your own wine to Vin, a MontGras . Cabernet, Carmenère and Syrah are varieties that thrive here because of their attraction for the local hot summers. Therefore, you should try this type of wine in Viña Montes, a pioneer in exporing Chilean wines 15 years ago, as well as the award-winning, premier of the vintner and his Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta opulent winery.There are many places to stand overnight in the rural town of Santa Cruz if you have to think too much wine down to return to Santiago the same day. When you return to the capital, you can see why everyone, while raising their glasses of wine on the upbeat message, "De Copas al Sur del mundo" or "Cheers, from our glasses to the South." ; So we have 5 top travel destinations for the increasingly popular South American flight in Chile, too, if we "North Americans consider Chile a smaller, perhaps a medium sized country, there is actually so much to see that can not be done in one trip. With only a couple of towns and tremendously varied geography ranging from open rolling waves of the Pacific to the towering jagged mountains, fertile agricultural land from large to glaciers, from the salt springs and emerald lakes and forests of Araucaria, there are so many people to explore the natural as well as the tourist infrastructure to accommodate sophisticated. In our review of the five essential elements of this long, narrow strip of land called Chile, we do not even get to meet the growing fly fishing and Antarctica, visiting the activities of the South, or the small of Miami as a "garden" beach town of Viña del Mar, or drive along the central coast along Reñaca, Zapallar to La Serena. We did not visit the mystic, if not well-infested island of Chiloé and its dozens of wooden churches that surpasses every small village. In addition, it is an experience to check the surrounding region and learn from indigenous Mapuche Temuco. Or, since it has bee highly recommended for exploring the charming German town of Puerto Varas and affected the fishing village of Puerto Montt. If you happen to get yourself in one of the top 5 of Chile discussed here, or in any of the other cities and areas mentioned above, it is likely that you are seeing and doing something very unusual and ourselves a amazing time. References mentoned above: 1. Poet Seers, "Gabriela Mistral Biography." http://www.poetseers.org/nobel_prize_for_literature/gab/2. Condé Nast Traveller's "Top 20 trips for 2009." Http://www.cntraveller.com/Special_Features/Top_20_Destinations_For_2009/Chile/3. Lonely Planet, Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2009 ". http://www.lonelyplanet.com/press-centre/press-release.cfm?press_release_id=3884. Husna Haq, "top 50 destinations of well-being. South and Central America "National Geographic Traveler. http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/wellness-directory/south-and-central-america-text5. Frommer's, "The most fascinating cities." Http://travel.nytimes.com/frommers/travel/guides/central-and-south-america/chile/frm_chile_2319026232.html6. Ruta Valparaiso, "Valparaiso." http://www.rutavalparaiso.cl/web/win2_en.htm7. Pablo Neruda, "Estatuto del vino". http://www.neruda.uchile.cl/obra/obraresidencia2g.html
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